-- In Virginia where Republican Ed Gillespie and Democrat Ralph Northam are dead even, 39% of likely voters are more likely to vote in this contest because of the president. Among these voters, Northam has a hefty 23-point lead - 58% to 35%.

-- Among all likely voters nationwide, 37% view today's gubernatorial contests as more a referendum on Trump than about local issues. Thirty percent (30%) say the races are more about local issues, but one-in-three voters (34%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Interestingly, Republicans (43%) are more likely than Democrats (36%) and voters not affiliated with either major political party (31%) to regard today’s elections as a referendum on Trump.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on October 30-31, 2017 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Men are more likely than women to think today’s gubernatorial contests are a referendum on Trump. Women are far more likely to be undecided.

Black and other minority voters are more likely than whites to see today’s state elections as referenda on the president.

Voters who Strongly Approve of the job Trump is doing as president are closely divided over what is driving this year’s state elections. But 38% who Strongly Disapprove of the job he is doing think the elections are a referendum on his presidency, while 24% think they’re more about local issues; another 38% are undecided.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on October 30-31, 2017 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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